Bid to create holiday park on old quarry site in Northumberland

Ben O'Connell

Plans to create a holiday park at a disused quarry on a Northumberland farm have been lodged.

The outline application is for 35 units of accommodation, a mix of luxury chalets, static caravans and camping pods, at Framhill Farm, to the north-west of Longframlington.

An indicative layout features 12 of each unit and the development would also include two ponds, additional landscaping and tree planting.

The site would be accessed from a new access point off the A697 and feature turning areas and off-street parking spaces, including disabled bays.

A planning statement submitted with the application says: ‘The site is a disused quarry that has a negative impact on the character of the countryside. The development proposed would remove this scar on the landscape.’

In terms of the economic benefits, it adds: ‘The expected number of jobs created from the proposals are for two full-time jobs and five seasonal jobs.

‘It is believed that the proposals could bring an additional 17,000 to 25,000 overnight visitors to the area per annum, spending between £845,000 and £1.7million during their stay.’

Elsewhere, an application has been submitted for a glamping site as a farm diversification scheme.

Guy Douglas wants to put up six canvas lodges, each with a six-person capacity and their own toilet and shower, on land at Southfield Farm, to the south-west of Seahouses.

The business does not feature any non-agricultural elements at present, so this expansion is a means of mitigating financial risk.

The applicant is considering entering into an agreement with Feather Down, described as the leading glamping operator in the UK, which specialises in ‘small-scale, upmarket camping’ on farms.